Henry VIII

Henry VIII

about 1509

Attributed to Meynnart Wewyck, Henry VIII, about 1509. Oil paint on wood panel, housed in its original frame; 15 × 9 3/4 in. (38 × 24.8 cm). Denver Art Museum: Gift of the Berger Collection Educational Trust, 2021.29

This object is currently on view

This portrait of a slender, beardless Henry, painted when the young king was about eighteen years old, is the earliest known depiction of him as king (he ruled from 1509 to 1547). Henry’s rejection of the Roman Catholic Church and establishment of a state religion with himself as supreme leader are unparalleled in historical and social impact by any actions of his successors. 

Artist
Meynnart Wewyck
Born: Netherlands
Attributed to
Country
England
Object
painting
Medium
Oil paint on panel
Dimensions
image height: 15 in, 38.1000 cm; image width: 9 3/4 in, 24.7650 cm; frame height: 21 in, 53.3400 cm; frame width: 16 5/8 in, 42.2275 cm; frame depth: 3 3/4 in, 9.525 cm
Credit Line
Gift of the Berger Collection Educational Trust
Department
European and American Art Before 1900
Collection
European Painting and Sculpture before 1900
Accession Number
2021.29
Known Provenance
Possibly the Knevet family, Old Buckenham, Norfolk; from whom acquired by Mr. Day; from whom bought by Kerrich, August 7, 1790; the Lords Gwydir; by descent to the Earls of Ancaster; with Spinks, London, 1926; with Arthur U. Newton, New York, 1931; from whom acquired by George Kemp, 1st Baron Rochdale (died 1945), Beechwood Hall, Rochdale, Lancashire; by descent; Rochdale sale, Sotheby’s, London, July 10, 1996, lot 9; from which acquired by William M. B. Berger and Bernadette Johnson Berger, Denver; Berger Collection Educational Trust; gifted to the Denver Art Museum, 2021. Provenance research is on-going at the Denver Art Museum and we will post information as it becomes available. Please e-mail provenance@denverartmuseum.org, if you have questions, or if you have additional information to share with us.
Exhibition History
  • “Treasures from the Berger Collection: British Paintings 1400-2000” — Denver Art Museum, 10/2/2014 – 9/9/2018
  • "The Tudors: Art and Majesty in Renaissance England," The Cleveland Museum of Art, 02/26/2023-05/14/2023
  • The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco: de Young Museum and the Legion of Honor, 06/24/2023-09/24/2023

Some images in our online collection are at thumbnail size, in accordance with AAMD guidelines, because they are protected by copyright. The Denver Art Museum respects the rights of artists or their representatives who retain the copyright to their work. Other images represent the best photography available and should be used as reference images only. Please complete the Image Rights Request form if you want to request a high resolution image.

This information is published from the Denver Art Museum’s collection database. Updates and additions based on research and imaging activities are ongoing. The images, titles, and inscriptions are products of their time and are presented here as documentation, not as a reflection of the museum’s values. If you have corrections or additional information about this object please email us at info@denverartmuseum.org to help us improve our records.

Every effort has been made to accurately determine the rights status of works and their images. Please email us imagerights@denverartmuseum.org if you have further information on the rights status of a work contrary or in addition to the information in our records.